A resume isn’t enough anymore. About a third of employers admitted to Facebooking applicants and most entry-level jobs require some social media knowledge (who else is going to show everyone #howtodoeverything?).

A professional Facebook Timeline is like the pop-up book of resumes. Instead of wasting precious space explaining a year-long gap in a cover letter, show photos of what you do outside of looking for a job: mastering the grill, mountain biking, covers of books you’ve read—anything that would give a candidate a picture of who you are as a person, which speaks worlds more than a few bullet points on white paper.

Even if you think Facebook is a huge waste of time, there are plenty of industries actively looking for at least some background in social media communications. Owning your social media presence means you control what people see, and that’s never a bad thing.

About 20 minutes of start-up time and a few minutes a month to update it.

Here’s what I did:

Create Professional Page

First, I locked up all of my privacy settings so no one can search for my personal profile. Then I created a public page under “Artist, Band or Public Figure” and “business person.” You need at least 30 friends to “Like” your page to keep it, which I was able to get in a few hours with a quick status update.

Post information

Like most resumes, the more you fill it out, the more people will read it. Start off by posting resume information accompanied with photos you wouldn’t mind sharing with strangers. Think of it as show-and-tell. Show the significance of your college degree by including a pic of you in your cap and gown with your grandma. Include a few screen shots of your current work, and post a few of snapshots of awards you’ve won. [Tip: Check the “Hide from News Feed” option so you don’t annoy your new fans.

Show Off Your Personality

Sharing personal information is always a little dicey, but I always think of it this way: Share only what you’d tell a significant other’s parents on first meeting. Post photos of athletic achievements, cooking adventures or fun vacations. Don’t go overboard as to crowd your professional information, but keep it light and fun.

Tips:

While a phone photo works sometimes with Facebook, try to defer to quality photos, and pay attention to Timeline’s dimensions.

Use your Timeline as a way to keep up with Facebook’s evolving layout. Pay attention to social media news, and try to take advantage of its latest features.

Don’t over-post. A few times a month will suffice.

Take some time to edit once in a while, and make sure all information is current.

I do alot of professional mentoring within my company and when my proteges are looking to apply for jobs the first thing I do is goto the internet and compile everything I can find about them that’s detrimental to their online presence. Mostly its drunken facebook pictures. (note that i make it a point to not have my proteges on any networking sites) I take them and plaster them on a board for a dramatic reveal on our next meeting. They are often upset and didnt realize how accessible that stuff was. We then spend a few hours securing their online reputation.

Bill

lol who doesn’t have their FB locked down at this point? People still have public profiles? Whyy.

Troy

“Pay attention to social media news”

Well, I doubt someone who does such would have an active Facebook account, and for good reason.

David

I would say avoid Facebook and Twitter as a social media tool for getting a job. Stick to LinkedIn. While you definitely do not want to be posting your drunken Friday night pics on FB, you DO want your potential employers to know that you have a life and a personality. LinkedIn is easy to keep that personality while looking professional without the hassle of worrying about last weekend’s lake party making it on your Timeline.

And I’ve really liked a lot of what Primer has had to say about resumes, cover letters and interviews… but I’m certain that using “Innovation, Adventure, and Leader” would be frowned upon in any resume or professional profile.

Ali

Thanks for the feedback folks! There’s a certain “drunken photo collage” stigma behind Facebook profiles, but that’s up to the owner and the amount of control you have over your online presence. If you have so many drunken photos on Facebook that you have to lock everything, then it’s time to take more control.

I advocate showing people what you want them to see. If employers are going to search for you on Facebook anyway, why not cover all of your social media platforms?

Ryan

Your usually on point but this is way out of line. Do not use Facebook, all Facebook ends up being is propaganda. If you want to market yourself through a social network, stick with LinkedIn. I know people have their opinions over it but it is quickly becoming the premier marketing tool to connect HR professionals with possible employees without having to know the details that do not matter.

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